Attachment for gas-meters.



J. G. HAYDEN.

ATTACHMENT FOR GAS METERS.

APPLICATION FILED 13327, 1012.

Patented May 12. 1914.

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INVENTOR ATTORNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT oFFicE;

JAMES G. HAYDEN, OF NEW LEXINGTON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO RALPH B. ELLIOTT, OF ROSEVILLE, OHIO.

ATTACHMENT FOR GAS-METERS.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, JAMES G. HAYDEN, a citizen of the United States, and a residentof New Lexington, in the county of Perry and State of Ohio, have invented a new and Improved Attachment for Gas-Meters, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description. I

My invention relates to a means for remedying the offset, often amounting to inoperativeness, caused by the shrinkage or expansion of the diaphragms in those fluid meters which depend on the pull of the diaphragm to operate a planetary valve controlling the passage of the fluid through the meter.

An object of my invention is to provide in the above-indicated class of meters, an adjustment of the valve-operating mechanism which will compensate for the variable amplitude of swing of the actuating diaphragms, and, at the same time, maintain the valve mechanism in operative condition.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming apart of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures, and in which Figure 1 is a horizontal transverse sectional View taken through a gas meter and showing an embodiment of my invention applied thereto; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the valve and dial-actuating shaft, showing my improved shaft applied thereto; and Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

A well-known form of gas meter having a multiplicity of diaphragm'covered pockets, the registering indicator of which meter is actuated by the pull of the diaphragm covering the pocket which is emptying, is disclosed in Fig. 1, to show the utilization of my improved adjuster to such a. meter.

While the construction of the meter shown is well known, a briefdescription of the same will facilitate the recitation of defects inherent in such a device. It is, of course, known that meters of this character are formed with a suitable base upon which is mounted a body portion A, substantially triangular in horizontal cross section, the tri-faces of which have circular openings B, said openings being covered by outwardlydished covers G. The covers C form with Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 27, 1912.

Patented May 12, 1914:.

Serial No. 680,194.

the body A, a substantially spherical shell forming the meter proper. Covering each of the openings B and having its outer edge suitably fastened between the body and the outer edge of the corresponding cover C, is a flexible diaphragm D, preferably made of leather or similar substance. These diaphragms form with the covers G, a gas pocket E, connnunication to which is afforded through a port F in a valve seat Gr. Gas passes into the meter through the inlet pipe H, through the permanently open port I, so that the interior of the meter as outlined by the diaphragms and the edges of the body A, is always filled with gas under pressure from the mains, and in the condition of the meter as shown in Fig. 1, gas is passing into the open port F filling the pocket E at the right-hand side of this figure. As there are three of these pockets E, there are three ports F disposed in the valve seat G at one hundred and twenty degrees to one another; one port to each pocket. A centrally-disposed outlet port J, shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, communicates with an outlet pipe K. An inverted plate-shaped planetary valve L is provided which valve has a flat peripheral rim M of a size adapt-- ed to always close two of the three inlet ports F, said valve L having a central dome portion N always maintaining one of the closed ports F in communication with the outlet pipe through the port J.

The valve L is actuated by a crank arm 0, rigidly mounted upon a shaft P carried by a bracket bridge Q. The upper end of the shaft P is suitably connected to a dial register R, and the shaft is actuated by forming within the length of the same. a double crank S, pivoted to the crank pin T of which is a plurality of links U. one link to each diaphragm D, and each link being suitably attached to the corresponding diaphragm D by means of a disk bracket V. This is the construction common to meters of like character and it is to be understood that the diaphragm pocket-s E in emptying act on the pin T each to pull the crank S about a third of its circular movement, and then the next succeeding diaphragm covering the emptying pocket will pull it for its third of a revolution, and so on, the three diaphragms in succession pulling on the pin T swinging the valve about its circle of movement. In use, these diaphragms shrink or expand unequally even where great care is taken to cure them before the same are inserted in the meters. lVhen these diaphragms shrink, necessarily the amplitude of swing from a medial position is lessened, and it frequently happens that the amplitude of movement is not suflicient to swing the valve about the necessary third of arevolution, and unless the movement of this shrunken dlaphragm is suflicient to bring the valve ofl" center, or in position to be pulled by the actuation of the next succeeding diaphragm, the meter is locked. I have tried numerous means for remedying this defect, such, for instance, as lengthening the link U or lengthening the disk bracket V, but while thls compensates for the shrinkage of the diaphragm, such a change disa-rranges the relation of the valve to the inlet ports, so that the different links will pull unequally depending upon thenrelative lengths.

By my improved arrangement, I maintain all of the links U of the same length and maintain the amplitude of swing of all of the diaphragms uniform, to be equal to or less than the amplitude of the diaphram having the least swing.

It has been found that by varying the position of the crank pin T relatlve to the axis of the shaft P, a uniform movement is produced when the diameter of the circle traced by the moving pin 1s equal to the amplitude of the diaphragm having the least swing. In other words, by varying the stroke of-all of the links U, the difficulty inherent in the shrinking of any one of the diaphragms, is overcome, and, at the same time, the uniform fractional movement of the valve is maintained.

Numerous ways may be devised for adjusting thepin T, and as shown in the our bodiment herein disclosed, the crank arms 4 and 5 may be tubular members extending from the shaft P any suitable distance, mounted upon which arms is an H-shaped pin member, the pin proper T being a cylind-rical shaft 6 having a pair of spaced-apart rings 7 thereon, to maintain the links U in spaced-apart relation. At the ends of the tube 6 are square sleeves 8 and 9, respectively encompassing the arms 5 and 4. A jam screw 10 is inserted in the side of each of the sleeves 8 and 9, by means of which the pin 7 is locked in position. It will be seen by this construction, that the distance from the pin T to the shaft P may be varied at will. Of course, varying the amplitude of swing of the diaphragms will vary the amount of gas passed through the meter at each revolution of the shaft P, but the meter is brought to. par bv a change wheel in the dial register R, the use of this change wheel being common to meters of similar construction, and forming no. part of this invention, but if the meter cannot be brought to par with the present range of change wheels, a driving wheel having a different number of teeth could be substituted for the old drive wheel.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A meter comprising a casing having inlet ports, a valve for closing said ports, a plurality of fluid pressed diaphragms, a dial register, a shaft for actuating the register and valve, said shaft having intermediate of its ends spaced crank arms connected by a crank pm whose ends are adjustably secured to said arms, and a link connecting each diaphragm with the said crank pin.

2. A meter comprising a casing having inlet ports, a valve for controlling said ports, a plurality of fluid pressed diaphragms, a register, a shaft formed of sections having spaced crank arms at their adjacent ends, the sections being operatively connected one with the valve and the other with the register, a crank pin having at its ends sleeves slidable upon the crank arms, screws for se curing the sleeves to the crank arms and links each having one end pivo'tally secured to a d1aphragm and its other end loosely engaging the crank pin.

3. In a meter, a plurality of fiuid pressed diaphragms', a shaft comprising spaced crank arms, a crank pin having at its ends sleeves slidable on the crankarms, screws in the sleeves and engaging the crank arms, and a link connecting each diaphragm'with the crank pin each link having one end pivotally secured to the diaphragm and provided in its other end with a slot in which the crank pin works. 7

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES e. HAYDEN.

/Vitnesses:

MARGARET KELLEY, J. F. KELLEY.

ca es of thispat ent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0. 7 

